[SYMPTOMS AND INFORMATION]

- this section is focused on the symptoms/signs, ways to get the disease and a Q&A -

common signs/symptoms of [REDACTED]

Its not easy to notice that the virus has started, as the symptoms remain very mild at the start. Stuff ranging from coughing and a lack of appetite are the first two signs of anything, so it wouldn't appear to be so serious. After time(usually a day or two after being infected) the host will begin to have a raspy cough and become oddly skinny, along with that they might become slightly feral.

Some more symptoms/signs include:

- The host will keep a distance from most people, interaction becoming rare

- Either ravenous hunger or little hunger

- Pounding headaches and discomfort

- Unwanted/racing thoughts

- Blistering/burning pain in certain limbs

ways to gain the disease

[REDACTED] is a disease either brought by microscopic parasites found in prey/contaminated water or from a bite by a cat/mammal infected with [REDACTED].

extra information/Q&A about [REDACTED]

Q; How serious can this get and is there a reason to have any cat infected with this killed/locked away?

A: It depends on the stage, some are more docile during serious/mild stages other are more hostile during mild/serious stages, it depends on the cat.

Q: Is there a current cure to this disease/virus/infection?

A: No. Many mixtures and herbs have been tried to cure this, the only thing that has helped to calm down the virus for a bit has been a mixture of honey, wild garlic and wormwood.

Q: do any cats lose their mind and go insane? does this cause them to be locked away / shunned from the clan?

A: most of the time, yes, [REDCATED] is a virus which affects the mindset of a cat, making them feral, which usually leads to fits of rage and insanity. as for them being locked away/shunned from the clan, it depends on how violent or hostile they can get, but usually they are locked away.

Q: do cats eat other cats when infected?

A: yes- well most of the time they do, as cannibalism is something common among those infected with [REDACTED], due to the random changes in appetite. if locked away, the chances of them committing cannibalism are raised by at least 20%.

Q: will there ever be any cure the group of cats can find, or will it never be known?

A: . . . possibly. a cure hidden somewhere- i am not allowed to expand more on the answer to this question, as it may give away future plans or events in this timeline

Q: If a cat gets infected, do they have a preference on the flesh they eat

A: not usually, though fresh flesh is most commonly sought out by those infected with [REDACTED]

If you have anymore questions about [REDACTED], please ask as they will be answered.

[STAGES]

- this section is based on supplying the different stages of this infection, although not all cats look the same in each stage, so multiple descriptions will be provided for each stage. each clan has their own version of infected. mapleclan has version 2, swampclan has version 1, waveclan has version 3, and whitelilyclan has version 4 -

[STAGE 1]

versions 1, 2, 3 & 4.

- the mildest stage, the starting point- not much happens to the host

- coughing, little to no hunger

-the hosts appearance stays the same, slight weight loss may happen along with the possibilities of bruises appearing at random and red eyes, though appearances may differ

[STAGE 2]

version 1.

- the infection becomes a bit more noticeable

- vomiting, loss of sleep. this stage is also where the pain in the limbs/joints starts, and the cats heart race may spike then lower, panic attacks and moments of schizophrenic episodes may occur

- their appearance becomes just slightly weaker, and they may start to have sagging fur/skin under their eyes and at the base of their ears.

version 2.

- same symptoms/signs/affects as version 1

- appearance changes, giving off more of a demonic presence. some skin/fur will turn black, and feel flaky, usually 2 or 4 spots on the cats head will start to spike up, looking abnormally like horns.

version 3.

- same symptoms as the other two

- they will start to have a stronger build, which wouldn't seem bad, yet they will shake and stumble and grow small gills on the back of their legs or on their back

version 4.

- the symptoms remain the same

- the host will stay the same, despite a crazy need to bite something or themselves, along with that something like flower buds or bumps may appear

[STAGE 3]

version 1.

- now, the infection is starting to be clear, probably evoking weird reactions from clanmates

- adding onto the previous symptoms from version one, stage 2, the host will experience a spike in hunger, feeling the need to eat lots.

- their appearance is lankier and duller, weakening as the days go by. the sagging of the skin/fur gets worse, and appears in more areas, the host will also start to have shredded limbs/parts of fur and rotting limbs.

version 2.

- same symptoms/signs/affects as version 1 of this stage, besides a new trait, which is sometimes coughing blood and randomly collapsing or feeling dizzy

- their appearance is getting worse, their fur becomes darker, and black/grey, the spiky fur is growing, turning a black as it doesn't seem to be fur anymore, more like horns now. their eyes will get progressively redder and more bloodshot, sometimes turning black early.

version 3.
- the same symptoms from the last two, yet these cats will stay closer to the water, and seem to never want to leave it.

- their flesh with start to burn and become almost  bubble up, sometimes clear fluids seemingly water will leak from the burns and holes may form.

version 4.

- the same symptoms minus the need to be around water, they will hide under/in bushes.

- they will have holes, large and small form around their body, their eyes may start to bulge and possibly pop from their sockets. leaves, plants, flowers and such like that will grow from their body and possibly eyes/mouth. extra mouths may also grow, and they may cough up flower petals.

[STAGE 4]

version 1.

- things are getting worse, infection is clearer, and the host may be kept in a place secluded from the rest of the clan

- the symptoms from the previous stages version 1 carry over to this one and foaming at the mouth + more of a feral and cannibalistic attitude is established.

- skin turns grey and flesh-y colors, sometimes falling off. the hosts jaw will become crackly, sometimes dislocating itself, the fur also seems muddy and sometimes grows moss and leaves, sometimes extra limbs may form.

version 2. 

- everything's worse. worse.

- all of the symptoms from version 1 carry onto this one- the horns grow and curl, the cat seems more demonic. the tail will spike, and they will become a darker color, half black at this point, spikes will also grow at random points of their body.

version 3.

- the symptoms remain the same, yet they seem to be more silent

- the fur is saggy and droopy, they will often have wet fur, and tears or water will be streaming from their mouth and eyes. they will have a very twisty neck, often being able to rotate it all the way around with no problem.

version 4.

- the symptoms are the same, yet they are more loud

- the flowers and plants grow from their eyes, almost consuming their body. the host will lose all control of their body at this point, and will sometimes tear off their own claws to replace them with thorns

. . .  no further information has been gathered, yes, there are more stages, these are the only one that have been identified. fully or more mutated cats are known to be a different stage, likely the final one, yet no reports on this have been documented.